Valley City Public Schools (VCPS) is excited to partner with Essentia Health and Medica to start the new school year with additional services dedicated to student health and well-being.
For the first time, VCPS will provide a Virtual Visit Access Point at Valley City High School, allowing students to connect virtually with health care providers in an environment that reduces barriers to care, such as travel time, and provides immediate access to care.
“As a leader in rural health care, Essentia understands the challenges rural communities face, including access to the right level of medical care at the right time and as close to home as possible,” said Dr. Tanya Diegel, Essentia’s chief of primary care. “We are part of the Valley City community and are honored to work with the school district to find innovative ways to best serve the health care needs of our local students.”
VCPS and Essentia extended their partnership in 2018 to further expand health and wellness services and education to the community. Medica and Essentia work together to provide coordinated care to North Dakotans through accountable care organizations. In February 2024, VCPS received a $50,000 Community Grant from Medica.
The goal of the grant was to provide resources to rural North Dakota school districts to help improve student health outcomes by increasing awareness and access to behavioral health services.
According to the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, in 2023, 48.7% of North Dakota residents will live in rural areas, compared to the national average of 13.9%.
“Medica is pleased to provide funding for this unique and important project,” said Andrew Marshall, Medica market president for Minnesota and North Dakota. “We have worked with North Dakotans and school districts for many years and understand the healthcare challenges facing schools and rural communities.”
VCPS, in collaboration with Essentia and Medica, focused grant implementation on four key areas:
Increasing awareness about behavioral health. Providing behavioral health professional development for educators. Hosting a back-to-school health fair. Implementing a virtual visitation access point at Valley City High School.
Officials from VCPS, Essentia and Medica toured the Virtual Visit Access Point with community members on Tuesday, August 13. Using the latest technology, the new system will allow for easier access to care and reduce travel time for students, parents and staff. The clinic will be available to students in grades 7-12 starting Wednesday, August 21.
In response, VCPS also hosted a local back-to-school health fair later Tuesday, which featured free food, games and fun, as well as important health care information for students, parents and families.
“Over the past five years, the behavioral health needs of our students have steadily increased,” said VCPS Superintendent Josh Johnson. “Partnering with Essentia Health and Medica allows us to support the health needs of students at our school and in our community. The new Healthcare Virtual Access Room will improve student access to critical behavioral health services within Valley City High School. We are excited to pilot this program and continue to be a leader in education across North Dakota.”
To culminate the community grant, VCPS will host motivational speaker Hunter Pinke on Wednesday, Sept. 18. Pinke will share inspirational stories and messages with students, staff and the Valley City community. Following this event, VCPS will gather feedback from students, staff and parents to continually improve how they meet the behavioral health needs of students.
